This invention relates to generally flat panel display screens and systems, particularly to display systems with enhanced viewing and, still more particularly, to AC plasma display panel (PDP) systems which are particularly adapted for presentation displays and large viewing angle and a display having high visibility in sunlight.
It is common for presentation display systems to incorporate cathode ray tube (CRT) type or projection displays. Such displays have limited viewing angles, reduced brightness and contrast, and are very bulky in large viewing area or screen sizes. Projection-type display systems require space for the projection path, a bulky screen, and the pixels do not have good discrimination ratios. Flat LCD displays have limited viewing angles and are expensive in large sizes. All of these systems are of relatively low brightness and require dimming of room illumination for viewing purposes.
Objects of the present invention are to provide presentation display panels and systems which have high brightness, contrast ratio, wide (up to 160 degrees) viewing angles for comfortable viewing from any place in a room, large picture elements, programmable input or receiver for video presentations with interface that is compatible for multimedia presentations. The display panel can be executive style for mounting on a conference table, wall or stand in meeting rooms, court rooms, classrooms, board rooms, or overhead wall or ceiling mounted for meeting and control centers (conferences, trade/exchanges, transportation centers, command centers, etc.) exposition booths/exhibits, video-conferencing stations, shop floor control, medical stations, virtual instrument stations, and computer integrated manufacturing stations. All sizes are contemplated. The display systems can be of sizes compatible with "pullman" size luggage for air travel. Another object of the invention is to provide flat electronic display panel having high visibility in sunlight.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, a flat AC plasma display panel is provided with furcated column and furcated row electrodes with the spacing between furcated elements constituting an electrode being less than the interelectrode spacing constituting the spacing between pixels in both the row and column directions. In such case, each furcated row element furcation crossing each furcated column element furcation defines a discharge site for a sub-pixel. The number of sub-pixels being the product of N row furcations times W column furcations (N.times.W) which equals one pixel. For color displays having red (R), green (G) and blue (B) channels, the number of sub-pixels is 3 (N.times.W).
In one preferred embodiment, the display panel is provided with one or more optical sensor means positioned on the non-viewing side of the display panel at one or more predetermined position such that a remotely generated optical beam passes through the panel to enter control signals to modify information on the display. In this embodiment, the display panel is at least partially transparent to the remotely generated optical beam.
In a further preferred embodiment, the drive system for the display causes one or more icons to be presented on said display at the predetermined locations of said optical sensors. The front end of the data handling system is programmable for various video inputs. Binary video logic, gray scale video logic and full color video logic are available options. In one preferred embodiment the furcated row electrodes are spaced apart a distance which is less than the interelectrode space between row electrodes and furcated column electrodes are spaced a distance which is less than the interelectrode spacing, and further the column electrodes are preferably bifurcated and the row electrodes are quadrifurcated.
In a further preferred embodiment, the panel is comprised of plates with a microgrooved dielectric overlying one set of arrays of furcated electrodes with one of the electrode arrays colinear with the microgrooves. For color display, the gas is rich in UV production on discharge and visible light production is low and pairs of UV responsive color phosphor stripes are located on sloping land surfaces forming the grooves in a microgrooved dielectric to further enhance brightness and light output. Note that a monochrome version of this color display structure is provided using all of one color phosphor stripes. A "black and white" monochrome version is provided by using "white" phosphor wherein the white phosphor comprises an appropriate mix of the primary color (red, green, and blue) phosphors. In a further preferred embodiment, each electrode array which is colinear with the microgrooves has one or more furcations aligned with separate grooves so that at least four phosphor stripes are provided for each pixel .